Affordable Luxury – My Experiences with Vestiare Collective

April 23, 2017

Isn’t it every girls dream to buy designer fashion secondhand for a significantly lower price? Recently, I’ve come to discover Vestiare Collective, an online secondhand boutique. At first, I had my doubts. How could I trust a reseller on the internet when it comes to authenticity? How can I make sure the item looks as it’s described? Pictures can often portray a very different reality. And why for god’s sake would people pay up to 75% of the sales price for a second hand bag? Well, they do, because buying on Vestiare (as opposed to Depop or Ebay) is safe, super safe.

To be honest, if I hadn’t sold my first item (a pair of furry Gucci Princetown slippers) on Vestiare Collective, I probably would have never bought anything myself. Because when spending these sums of money every detail is important. Every scratch matters. So when I first sold my slippers, I came to realize that I wouldn’t have to send them directly to the buyer, but to Vestiare, in order for them to check and accept the item. Game changer! Why hasn’t anybody thought of that earlier? In the meanwhile, I’ve sold another item (a Louis Vuitton Speedy bag) and have been looking for a Céline Trapeze in exchange, as I figured I could trust Vestiare now. The website honestly could not be made any better.

BUT (to every good story there’s a but) when the bag arrived, I was very nervous. So nervous, that I was checking every inch of leather and hardware that I completely forgot to enjoy the fact that I just got the bag. Now, after a few days have passed, as happy as I am with my purchase, I probably would not consider to buy a secondhand handbag anymore, unless it’s vintage. However, this is very personal. I’m a perfectionist and I can’t even handle asymmetric rooms or designs, let alone unkown scratches on a secondhand Céline. As you can see on the pictures, I did get one and I’m happy with it.

Moreover, I’m totally obsessed with selling on Vestiare. I was able to resell my Princetown slippers for 700 euros (retails for 850) and my 6 years old speedy for 400 euros (retails for 700). Not bad, huh? Of course, a part of it (depends on the price) goes to Vestiare, but I reckon that’s a fair deal. I guess that’s about it, my opion about buying/selling secondhand on Vestiare Collective. In case you have any questions, leave a comment below, I’ll get back to you.